SAKURA means Cherry or Cherry Blossom. The Cherry Tree and it's blossom have a
special place in the Japanese heart. As far back as the 10th century the blossom has been considered the national flower, and it has been the subject of Poetry, Prose, and Paintings over the ages.
From the 10th century to the present day, hanami or "flower viewing" parties have been held in March and April to celebrate the ephemeral beauty of the delicate Pink flower. During hanami season,
trees all over Japan go into full bloom and clouds of Cherry blossoms can be seen carried on the gentle winds. One of the most reoccurring visuals in all of anime is the sight of Cherry blossoms
gently floating to the ground, with flurries of the petals surrounding on screen characters.
The most beloved flower in Japanese culture, the cherry blossom (sakura no hana) is a delicate pink or white flower with five notched petals, and is widely used as a decorative motif. It was
already highly regarded in ancient Japan, as evidenced by dozens of poems in the eighth-century anthology Manyoshu that mention cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom symbolizes the Japanese values of
simplicity, purity and fleeting beauty.
Samurai (warriors) saw in the cherry blossom a symbol for the ideal of the military
spirit; samurai were expected to give their lives in their prime - falling in battle like cherry blossoms blown down from the trees.
In Japan late March and early April is the time for Hanami... or "Flower Viewing." During these months Cherry Trees go into full bloom all over Japan. The practice of hanami is many
centuries old and was originally observed only by Court Elites and Samurai. They would hold flower viewing parties beneath the blossoming boughs while drinking sake and eating special foods. Poems
would be written praising the delicate flowers, which were seen as a metaphor for life itself, vibrant and beautiful yet fleeting and ephemeral.
Today people continue with the tradition of hanami, gathering in great numbers wherever the flowering trees are found. Thousands of people fill the parks to hold banquets under the flowering
trees, and sometimes these parties go on until late in the evening.
Washington D. C. - Next year's 2002 festival marks the 90th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees by the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912. Through
the persistent efforts of Mrs. Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore and Dr. David Fairchild, approval was finally granted for a Japanese donation of 2,000 cherry blossom trees which arrived in DC on January 6,
1910. To everyone's great disappointment, all of the trees were infested with insects and various diseases. The Department of Agriculture was forced to burn all of the trees, an act to which
President Taft gave his consent on January 28.
On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinida, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two cherry trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin. From 1913 to 1920,
workers completed the planting of the 3,000 cherry trees around the Tidal Basin. The original planting of the first two
trees was commemorated in 1927 through a re-enactment by District school children. A three day celebration was held in the spring of 1934 by the DC Commissioners. The first official Cherry Blossom
Festival was held in 1935.
In 1952, the U.S. sent graphs from the cherry trees back to Japan to help restore their collection which had been devastated during WWII. This was the first of several such shipments to Japan.
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